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Psychonauts in The Rhombus of Ruin Review Thread

L

Loudninja

Member
Destructoid 8.5
Whether it's worth playing at that price depends on how into Psychonauts you are and/or how desperate you are for a delightful, well-crafted PSVR game. I'll say this much: as someone who is by no means a superfan, Rhombus of Ruin left me feeling proper excited for Psychonauts 2.
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https://www.destructoid.com/review-psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin-419848.phtml

Gamespot 6/10
Rhombus of Ruin adopts a smart approach to VR and executes it with humor and confidence. But it could have been longer and deeper, more challenging and surprising. Like the story, the gameplay is superficially enjoyable but barely has time to develop, and because you'll know all the puzzle solutions by the end, the campaign doesn't offer much replay value.
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http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin-review/1900-6416621/

Attack of the Fanboy 4/5
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin isn't a true successor to the first game, that's coming with Psychonauts 2. Instead it serves as a fun side adventure, utilizing PlayStation VR to put players right into the world of the game. It does this well, with the usual excellent writing expected of Double Fine. The point-and-click gameplay is fun, and works well in VR, but the puzzles can and will stump you at some points, causing some extreme frustration. A short game, it is nonetheless worth trying out, especially if you were a fan of the original.
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http://attackofthefanboy.com/reviews/psychonauts-rhombus-ruin-review/

Hardcore Gamer 4/5
Even if our first follow-up to one of the most legendary games ever made is a more relatively small-scale PlayStation VR game, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is still an absolute treat indeed, and a must-play for anyone who owns the peripheral. It may be a bit of a quick journey, but the gleefully mad yet beautiful world, fun gameplay, and the return of some truly lovable characters and their witty dialogue makes it a journey you won't forget anytime soon (especially with the final section of the game, which will blow your mind in more than a few ways, pun semi-intended). Welcome back, Raz. We've missed you, and you came back with one damn fine game indeed. Now bring on Psychonauts 2 next year!
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http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2017/02/20/review-psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin/247557/

Arcade Sushi 8.5
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is an unexpectedly good thing for what is essentially a teaser for Psychonauts 2. It has some great moments and leaves some tasty bread crumbs for what to expect going into Double Fine's much anticipated sequel, but it's also a genuinely enjoyable offering for VR in general. The puzzles are fun, the environments are fantastic to observe and the Psychonauts cast does a great job in bringing the whole thing together with a colorful and amusing bow.
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http://arcadesushi.com/psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin-review-playstation-4/

TechRaptor 8.0
When I finished Psychonauts, I was rather saddened by the thought that there may never be more. With Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin offering a first look at what's to come, I am now extremely excited for the future. The jump to a VR puzzle game was rather successful, even with its few hitches, and the story should have any fan of the original leaving with the biggest smile on their face. Hopefully, the momentum can continue in the future.
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https://techraptor.net/content/psychonauts-rhombus-ruin-review

Digital Chumps 8/10
New players, too, should find that Rhombus of Ruin accommodates Psychonauts with a comfortable home in virtual reality. Hardly any facet of its composition feels conditional, granting Psychonauts' beloved motif ample room to work through PlayStation VR's intrinsic weaknesses. Interquels, typically a model disposability, don't seem so strained or contrived inside of this peculiar parallelogram.
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http://digitalchumps.com/psychonauts-rhombus-ruin/

CGMagazine 6/10
It feels dirty to say ”no" to new Psychonauts, but Rhombus of Ruin is a half-baked attempt at wrapping up the first game's cliffhanger bundled with some monotonous gameplay and too little content for the asking price.
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http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/psychonauts-rhombus-ruin-review-disappointing-return/

DarkStation 3.5/5
Psychonauts Rhombus of Ruin has its feet firmly planted in foundation laid by the first game - as it should. Though it is trapped within a medium that is still trying to find steady feet, Rhombus at least has the heart and spirit of what made Psychonauts so enthralling. It's a fun and delectable morsel designed to satiate the palate until the second game comes out. While it does excite me for Psychonauts 2, it's only because I know that a console game will let Double Fine's imagination soar much higher than the VR platform would let them.
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http://www.darkstation.com/reviews/psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin

Gameblog.fr 7/10
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is an entertaining way to wait for Psychonauts 2 and a quite good VR experience. It can be considered too short and too easy, but it's still funny and capable of letting everyone spend some good time with Raz.
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http://www.gameblog.fr/tests/2691-psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin-ps4
 
R

RoyalFool

Banned
Point and click games seem like a good fit for VR. I've never played the original so getting that in the vr bundle was ideal - wonder if it'll spoil it if I play the vr game first...
 
P

Proteus IV

Member
RoyalFool said:
Point and click games seem like a good fit for VR. I've never played the original so getting that in the vr bundle was ideal - wonder if it'll spoil it if I play the vr game first...
Click to expand...

Haven't played RoR yet myself so I can't really tell you if it'll spoil the first game in any way but I do know it is supposed to be the direct sequel to the ending of the first game so it might be more enjoyable to have played through that first.

Also the original game is fantastic so you should just play it either way. The milkman level is one of my favorite things in video games ever.
 
B

Beer Monkey

Member
I downloaded this last night but had to go to bed so I didn't play it. Tonight I'll play the whole game and be sad it's over.

Proteus IV said:
Haven't played RoR yet myself so I can't really tell you if it'll spoil the first game in any way but I do know it is supposed to be the direct sequel to the ending of the first game so it might be more enjoyable to have played through that first.

Also the original game is fantastic so you should just play it either way. The milkman level is one of my favorite things in video games ever.
Click to expand...

Warning: The PS2 classic of the original Psychonauts on PS4 has VERY BAD input lag. Steam version is recommended where possible; it runs in 1080p/60fps on a toaster and has no input lag.
 
C

cakely

Member
I pre-ordered it so I'll be playing it tonight.

Also, I just remembered this game was featured on the infamous "PSVR Vaporware" thread.
 
S

Shoeless

Member
It's a treat. A very nice appetizer for the full sequel. I shouldn't have been surprised to see it, but the unique art style of Psychonauts works very well in VR, since it's not trying to hit photorealistic quality.

It's short, you can finish it in one sitting, which I inadvertently did last night, but it's a fast, fun adventure game that uses the psychic powers in smart ways, and of course, the Schaferisms are the highlight here in terms of the writing and presentation.
 
J

jrcbandit

Member
It's a fun game so far. I feel stupid but I'm stuck with Lili
what do I do with the rat/flea or whatever to break Lili's delusion regarding flowers. I assume you are supposed to get the music box working again somehow?
 
S

Seth

Member
Also thinking about grabbing this. It sounds like a game that may not make me sick in VR.

I RELLY wanted to play RE7, but about 20 minutes in and i felt like throwing up =/
 
Karak

Karak

Member
jrcbandit said:
It's a fun game so far. I feel stupid but I'm stuck with Lili
what do I do with the rat/flea or whatever to break Lili's delusion regarding flowers. I assume you are supposed to get the music box working again somehow?
Click to expand...

mix the two
 
M

Mister_Bubbles

Member
Great news that it turned out well, if only I could afford a PSVR right now... The more good games there are in the pot for VR all the better for the medium, so I hope this does well for Double Fine.
 
ArtHands

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
https://uploadvr.com/psychonauts-in-the-rhombus-of-ruin-review-in-the-mundaneness-of-mediocrity/

Final Score: 5/10 – Mediocre
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin gives fans a reason to be excited for Psychonauts 2, if only because it shows Double Fine hasn’t lost is grasp of the wonderful world it concocted 12 years ago now and not much else. As a VR game this is most often dated and only rarely the eye-opening adventure that a VR game about characters that can climb inside your psyche should be. I’m happy that the Psychonauts are alive and well, however anyone but the series’ most devoted fans should wait until next year for what will hopefully be the coming home party they so truly deserve.
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O

OriginalJonty

Member
TheSixthAxis - 7/10

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is a really good crack at a VR title by Double Fine. The characters will feel familiar to those who have played Psychonauts, but those new to the series will not feel too lost when following the story. However it is a short title that feels like it could have done a lot more with its intriguing setting, and while the tracking was on point most of the time there were moments where it could have been better. Rhombus Of Ruin is a fun experience and provides one of the best produced PSVR titles so far, but it ends a bit too soon.
Click to expand...
 
W

wwm0nkey

Member
So because I didn't have a PSVR I decided to watch a lets play.....man the story was really good in this, the
Memory Vault with the parents
was one of the most messed up things I think I have seen in a video game. It was real good.

Hopefully this is only a 1 year deal with Sony and they will put in on PC just before the 2nd one comes out.
 
M

mclem

Member
Just finished it, it's an excellent game. It's about the right length from my perspective, at least - I think if you were to take the first game and take out all the platforming and action gameplay, you wouldn't be *too* far removed from what you have here, although without as much It ties in very nicely to the original, with a whole bunch of callbacks and references, some a bit subtle (I picked up how
Milla's situation with the schoolbus of children echoed her personal tragedy from the first game, for instance
).

Ignoring the whole VR thing: It is absolutely a Psychonauts game. It's true to the series, the story has exactly the right appeal - it's joyous. Although I do have to say it doesn't particularly need VR; it wouldn't surprise me if it is a timed exclusive, then the PC version might well have a non-VR mode to get more eyes on it. Still, I don't think it'd be quite so immersive if so.

(Oh, and also: I couldn't help but think that the final puzzle promised a whole lot more, well, puzzle than we got!)
 
I

innervision961

Member
I just finished this today and even though it starts out kind of slow and I wish there were more freedom of movement (REVII proves its more than possible) I think this game was fantastic.

There are scenes in this game that play with scale in a way that I had been hoping to see on the PSVR since I've had it. Its been hinted at a few times in a few games (Allumette was amazing for this very same reason).

UE4 is a workhorse and combined with the great artstyle and amazing shaders and effects, it really sets this title apart from some others on the platfrom.

I'd easily give this game 8.5/10 if I did that sort of thing.
 
P

Piston Hyundai

Member
RoyalFool said:
Point and click games seem like a good fit for VR. I've never played the original so getting that in the vr bundle was ideal - wonder if it'll spoil it if I play the vr game first...
Click to expand...

It seems like a good fit for Psychonauts, too. I've been playing through the original for the first time and the gameplay is rough.
 
R

RoyalFool

Banned
Not sure if this is more a LTTP but, finally got around to playing this.

Wow, what a trip - absolutely loved it, the puzzles making use of the sense of scale were pretty clever and graphically it looks great.

Would sell my left arm for a fully Monkey Island length puzzle game in this vein. I preferred this to Broken Age.
 
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